Setting

Dr Jon Spence Director of the Institute of Education University Of Chichester Bognor Regis Campus Upper Bognor Road Bognor Regis West Sussex PO21 1HR

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training in the University of Chichester primary ITE partnership

Thank you for the help which you and your colleagues, trainees, newly qualified teachers and schools gave when Julie Ward, Dr John Menendez and Dr Kiran Campbell-Platt, Additional Inspectors, and I conducted a monitoring inspection of your primary ITE partnership on 11 March 2015. The focus of the inspection was to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of behaviour training.

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training in the University of Chichester primary ITE partnership

Having considered all of the evidence I am of the opinion that, at this time, the quality and effectiveness of behaviour training are good.

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Context

The University of Chichester works in partnership with around 250 schools to provide initial teacher education (ITE) in the primary age range. At the time of the monitoring visit, there were 340 trainees (across all three years) following the three year Bachelor of Arts (BA) honours degree course in primary education and teaching. There were 97 trainees following the primary post graduate route and 13 trainees on the post graduate primary modern languages route, both of which lead to a post graduate certificate in education (PGCE). A further 30 primary full-time trainees are following the School Direct (SD) route to qualified teacher status. The partnership works closely with eight school alliance partners and the University of Chichester Academy Trust.

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Context

Inspectors visited four partnership schools and observed parts of lessons taught by five trainees and three newly qualified teachers (NQTs). The NQTs represented the Tribal King’s Orchard, One Queen Street, Bristol, BS2 0HQ T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 01173115309 Direct F 01173150430 Direct email : Hannah.Parry@tribalgroup.com FMI monitoring inspection letter

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Context

Page 2 range of programmes. Whilst in the schools, inspectors held discussions with the trainees and NQTs who were observed and also with a further two Year 3 trainees and a NQT. We also had discussions with university tutors, school-based mentors, ITT coordinators, and senior staff. At the university, inspectors met with leaders and managers, the coordinator for school partnership and the three programme leaders. The lead inspector also had a telephone discussion with the chair of the Primary Strategic Steering Group, who is a headteacher in a partnership school and met with five trainees who are on their first year of the BA course. Inspectors looked at documents including improvement plans, impact studies and trainees’ files. No centre-based training related to the management of behaviour took place during the monitoring visit, but inspectors considered a range of lecture presentations and task- based assignments from across the different programmes relating to training in

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Outcomes for trainees

Trainees and NQTs confidently use different strategies to maintain order and develop positive relationships in their classrooms. They build on the systems used in their placement schools, choose from strategies provided by the university training and put their own stamp on these. For example, some introduce their own reward systems or organise specific seating arrangements to enhance partner work. They carefully and sensitively deploy additional adults to support pupils with particular behavioural needs. They understand the importance of trying to prevent or de- escalate poor behaviour through discrete intervention and techniques such as praising pupils for demonstrating expected behaviour as a reminder to others. They use a variety of routines, such as counting down, which pupils recognise as time for them to pay attention. The most skilful demonstrate that humour and fun can also be valuable behaviour management tools.

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Outcomes for trainees

The relationship between effective teaching, good behaviour and pupils’ progress are understood. However, in practice, trainees do not always realise that they may need to adapt their teaching to make sure that pupils stay on task. Occasionally they overuse behaviour management strategies to gain pupils’ attention with the whole class, when only one or two pupils are off task. There are still times, at this early stage in their teaching careers, when trainees struggle to keep a watchful eye on all of the pupils in the class and are not quick enough to intervene when some pupils become disengaged from their learning.

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Outcomes for trainees

Trainees and NQTs confidently and knowledgeably discuss issues such as bullying and safeguarding. They demonstrate strong professional traits and develop positive and mutually respectful relationships with pupils and adults. Their files and records show that they pay good attention to different aspects of behaviour management and seek out additional support to address any of their own concerns or fine tune their skills. FMI monitoring inspection letter

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The quality of training across the partnership

Trainees, NQTs and staff in schools are positive about how well the training enables them to promote and manage good behaviour. The feedback from trainees gathered at the end of, and during their courses, about this aspect of their training is very positive with over 91% of PGCE trainees, 95% of BA trainees and 100% of SD trainees saying that their training in managing behaviour had prepared them well or very well to manage behaviour. This is in contrast to the most recent NQT survey data, published by the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) in November 2014, where only 17 responses were returned. The results of this survey were well below the sector norm for this aspect of training.

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The quality of training across the partnership

Trainees and NQTs commented on how effectively the centre-based training sets out the context, provides strategies and then school-based training deepens their understanding and confidence. Training on behaviour is planned carefully so that specific lectures and workshops early in the programmes are built on through school-based experiences and then topped up throughout the later parts of the courses. Behaviour management and the development of positive relationships are also threaded through other centre-based training. Planned activities in schools, including observations and written tasks, develop a good understanding of how the theory works in practice and the effectiveness of different techniques. First year BA trainees are very positive about how the early focus on behaviour gave them a toolkit of strategies and helped them be more confident about taking their first steps in the classroom.

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The quality of training across the partnership

Mentors are well trained and aware of national and university priorities, including behaviour management. Trainees are observed regularly and provided with clear feedback from experienced teachers on their progress. Trainees are placed in a variety of schools, and this provides them with good opportunities to experience different approaches and manage pupils of different ages and backgrounds. They are therefore fully aware that, when it comes to behaviour, one size does not fit all.

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The quality of training across the partnership

Trainees make a strong contribution to their own personal development by providing detailed evaluations and sharp targets for improvement which inform weekly mentor meetings. Close monitoring of these meetings results in early intervention, such as additional workshops, when necessary to support individual trainees who are not as confident in this aspect as they are in others. The very few current BA trainees who were identified as having particular concerns about behaviour management have all improved their practice as a result of this timely and effective additional support.

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The quality of leadership and management of the ITE partnership

Despite their own internal evaluations being much more positive and with many more responses, senior leaders acted quickly and decisively to address the issues raised by the negative NQT survey outcomes. Behaviour training is more explicit now and happens at an earlier point in the programmes. Schools have been provided FMI monitoring inspection letter

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The quality of leadership and management of the ITE partnership

Page 4 with NCTL materials and find the university’s postcard prompts for behaviour management useful.

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The quality of leadership and management of the ITE partnership

Tracking and monitoring of trainees’ progress is regular and rigorous. Swift intervention is provided when necessary and has resulted in improvements to trainees’ practice. Assessment reviews are used well to identify trainees requiring additional support and provision is well focused and positively evaluated by trainees. The expectations of school colleagues, university staff and trainees are explicit and tracked effectively to make sure each partner fulfils their role well.

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The quality of leadership and management of the ITE partnership

The improvement plan for behaviour is sharply focused, actions are appropriate and responsibilities clear. However, the plan does not make clear what success will look like specifically in terms of behaviour management and how leaders will know whether they are on track to achieve their targets.

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The quality of leadership and management of the ITE partnership

I hope that you have found the inspection helpful in promoting improvement in your ITE partnership. This letter will be posted on the Ofsted website.

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